Facebook and Instagram are testing a paid version aimed at professionals in Australia and New Zealand

The service costs $11.99 (€11.30) per month for online users and $14.99 for those using the mobile apps. From Friday, Australian subscribers who present a government-issued ID will be able to apply for a blue authentication badge that will give them protection from identity theft, direct access to customer service and more visibility, according to the company.

PRO service

“We will gradually roll out access to Meta Verified to Facebook and Instagram and expect to achieve 100% availability within the first seven days of rollout,” said a Meta spokesperson. “This new feature aims to enhance the authenticity and security of our services,” he wrote. Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Metain a statement posted to Facebook and Instagram.

Essentially, this resolution also provides the meta methodIt generates more revenue from its 2 billion users. Experts say the growing army of creators and influencers who make a living online may be the first customer base for its paid services. Many of them complain about the difficulty of solving technical and administrative problems, which leads to delays and loss of income.

‘Risky’ model

Some sort of “VIP services” can be “a very attractive proposition for a content creator”, noted Jonathon Hutchinson, Senior Lecturer in Online Communications at the University of Sydney. Meta often wanted to test new models, sometimes risky ones, only to give away what didn’t work, Hutchinson noted.